diff --git a/ui/desktop/src/__tests__/sessions.test.ts b/ui/desktop/src/__tests__/sessions.test.ts
index 42d564460108..9d80ad0ffa5e 100644
--- a/ui/desktop/src/__tests__/sessions.test.ts
+++ b/ui/desktop/src/__tests__/sessions.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest';
-import { getSessionDisplayName, shouldShowNewChatTitle } from '../sessions';
+import { getSessionDisplayName } from '../sessions';
 import { prependUnique } from '../hooks/useNavigationSessions';
 import type { SessionListItem } from '../acp/sessions';
 import type { Session } from '../types/session';
@@ -30,33 +30,16 @@ function makeListItem(overrides: Partial<SessionListItem> = {}): SessionListItem
   };
 }
 
-describe('shouldShowNewChatTitle', () => {
-  it('returns true for an empty session without a user-set name', () => {
-    const session = makeSession({ message_count: 0, user_set_name: false });
-    expect(shouldShowNewChatTitle(session)).toBe(true);
-  });
-
-  it('returns false when the session has messages', () => {
-    const session = makeSession({ message_count: 3, user_set_name: false });
-    expect(shouldShowNewChatTitle(session)).toBe(false);
-  });
-
-  it('returns false when the user has set a custom name', () => {
-    const session = makeSession({ message_count: 0, user_set_name: true });
-    expect(shouldShowNewChatTitle(session)).toBe(false);
-  });
-
-  it('returns false when the session has a recipe', () => {
+describe('getSessionDisplayName (fix for #8865)', () => {
+  it('returns the normalized session name even when message count metadata is stale', () => {
     const session = makeSession({
-      message_count: 0,
+      name: 'Generated title',
       user_set_name: false,
-      recipe: { title: 'Recipe', steps: [] } as unknown as Session['recipe'],
+      message_count: 0,
     });
-    expect(shouldShowNewChatTitle(session)).toBe(false);
+    expect(getSessionDisplayName(session)).toBe('Generated title');
   });
-});
 
-describe('getSessionDisplayName (fix for #8865)', () => {
   it('returns the user-set name for a recipe session that has been renamed', () => {
     const session = makeSession({
       name: 'My Renamed Chat',
diff --git a/ui/desktop/src/acp/__tests__/sessions.test.ts b/ui/desktop/src/acp/__tests__/sessions.test.ts
index c6ca72620be2..c3437c945d9e 100644
--- a/ui/desktop/src/acp/__tests__/sessions.test.ts
+++ b/ui/desktop/src/acp/__tests__/sessions.test.ts
@@ -33,6 +33,12 @@ describe('ACP sessions', () => {
     expect(session.session_type).toBe('scheduled');
   });
 
+  it('does not synthesize a title when ACP omits one', () => {
+    const session = sessionInfoToSession(sessionInfo({ title: undefined }));
+
+    expect(session.name).toBe('');
+  });
+
   it('returns session info refreshed after loading the ACP session', async () => {
     const loadedSessionInfo = sessionInfo({
       _meta: {
diff --git a/ui/desktop/src/acp/sessions.ts b/ui/desktop/src/acp/sessions.ts
index dc1c18321ec4..e03f82b341ac 100644
--- a/ui/desktop/src/acp/sessions.ts
+++ b/ui/desktop/src/acp/sessions.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ import type {
 } from '@agentclientprotocol/sdk';
 import type { GooseExtension, SessionImportSource } from '@aaif/goose-sdk';
 import { getAcpClient } from './acpConnection';
-import { DEFAULT_CHAT_TITLE } from '../contexts/ChatContext';
 import type { ExtensionLoadResult } from '../types/extensions';
 import type { Session } from '../types/session';
 import type { Recipe } from '../recipe';
@@ -93,7 +92,7 @@ export function sessionInfoToSession(s: SessionInfo, loadMeta: LoadSessionMeta =
 
   return {
     id: String(s.sessionId),
-    name: s.title ?? DEFAULT_CHAT_TITLE,
+    name: s.title ?? '',
     working_dir: loadMeta.workingDir ?? s.cwd,
     created_at: createdAt,
     updated_at: updatedAt,
@@ -116,7 +115,7 @@ function sessionInfoToListItem(s: SessionInfo): SessionListItem {
   const meta = sessionInfoMeta(s);
   return {
     id: String(s.sessionId),
-    name: s.title ?? DEFAULT_CHAT_TITLE,
+    name: s.title ?? '',
     workingDir: s.cwd,
     updatedAt: s.updatedAt ?? '',
     messageCount: meta.messageCount ?? 0,
diff --git a/ui/desktop/src/sessions.ts b/ui/desktop/src/sessions.ts
index 18ad1e670e32..5988b749300a 100644
--- a/ui/desktop/src/sessions.ts
+++ b/ui/desktop/src/sessions.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 import type { Session } from './types/session';
 import type { ExtensionConfig } from './types/extensions';
-import { DEFAULT_CHAT_TITLE } from './contexts/ChatContext';
 import type { setViewType } from './hooks/useNavigation';
 import type { FixedExtensionEntry } from './components/ConfigContext';
 import { AppEvents } from './constants/events';
@@ -14,16 +13,9 @@ export function getSessionDisplayName(session: Session): string {
   if (session.recipe?.title) {
     return session.recipe.title;
   }
-  if (shouldShowNewChatTitle(session)) {
-    return DEFAULT_CHAT_TITLE;
-  }
   return session.name;
 }
 
-export function shouldShowNewChatTitle(session: Session): boolean {
-  return !session.user_set_name && session.message_count === 0 && !session.recipe?.title;
-}
-
 export function resumeSession(session: Session, setView: setViewType) {
   const eventDetail = {
     sessionId: session.id,